I have a CPU that was neglected for a bit before being given to me. It boots and starts Windows ME (after I press F1 on bootup screen that says system is unworkable or has changed) but when it goes to detect hardware settings, it stays at 0% and doesn't respond further. Is there any hope? I would like to clean the hard drive and reinstall the OS. Any help would be appreciated!

"Virgin Techie" is the perfect way to describe me! I can't quite figure out how to get to a DOS prompt, because it stops at the "Press F1" message and goes into ME after it's been pressed. I'll be back with specs, Devlish...

If anyone has any ideas on how to get me to a DOS prompt, please let me know...until then, I'm on a hunt for a boot disk download.

All right...got it to boot up to the Win 98 Boot Disk, and I formatted the hard drive. How do I install the OS now? I would like to see if it will hold XP, as that is the only OS software I have to install on it...I tried running setup from D: but it says that it can't be run from DOS.
Should I FDISK or repartition before I do the OS installation? You guys have been the greatest...

Originally posted by Leila All right...got it to boot up to the Win 98 Boot Disk, and I formatted the hard drive. How do I install the OS now? I would like to see if it will hold XP, as that is the only OS software I have to install on it...I tried running setup from D: but it says that it can't be run from DOS.

this is why i asked for specs. i wanted to see whether your pc will be able to handle xp. anyway,...if you're planning to install xp,...i suggest you get a bootable XP cd..and boot from it...it'll do all the formatting and installing. it'll also let you choose your partitions..you can also repartition your hd...etc. it's simple...and ideal for beginners.